Devil Origins
by Alkinus
Summary: The origins of Devil Fruits have always been shrouded in mystery. No one knows where they came from, but they are rumored to be the incarnations of the Sea Devil. When the Straw Hats encounter a young woman with a strange but powerful Devil Fruit power, they are pulled into a search for the origins of Devil Fruits... a search that may even lead them to the devil himself.
1. Prologue - Vengeful Sea

_**Author's Note: **_Hello! Thanks for taking an interest in this story. I'd like to mention some very important things: first, _this is all fiction. _This is not the actual history of the Devil Fruits. It's simply a story that I came up with to explain the history of the Devil Fruits since the history hasn't really been explained much in the manga yet. I thought that a story about how the Devil Fruits came into existence sounded interesting, and that's how I came up with this fanfiction. I might rate it M in the future if I include a lot more swearing and stuff.

Second, there is an OC x Zoro pairing in this story. I'm not very good at writing romance, but I thought I'd try to improve my romance writing skills through this story. If you don't like romance or OC pairings, then this story may not be right for you. Finally, some stuff is left unexplained for a reason. It's to add mystery to the story! Don't worry, though, everything will be explained in due time. I'm still kind of new to writing fanfiction, so please bear with me. c: Enjoy reading the fanfiction and please consider submitting a review when you're done! Reviews are highly appreciated and keep me motivated to continue writing.

* * *

_**Prologue - Vengeful Sea**_

* * *

_Why was this happening?_

_He'd always loved the sea, and it had loved him back…_

_Now, it had abandoned him and left him to die._

_He was sinking, falling further and further down into the depths of the ocean. His entire body felt heavy. Above him, he could make out the sun and beyond, the unmistakable shape of a large ship, one he recognized all too well._

_His ship. _

_A mixture of feelings gripped his heart then: anger, regret, and desperation being among them. No matter what, he had to get back to his ship. There was still so much left for him to do, so many adventures to embark on…_

_He struggled against the water with renewed energy, kicking out powerfully as he tried to swim upward in an attempt to get back to the surface. Yet even as he struggled, he could feel his energy slipping away and his body turning to lead. His movements became more and more sluggish until finally, exhausted, he stopped moving and let himself fall back down. Without any oxygen to support his body, he felt his consciousness slowly fade away._

_It was all over._

_He mustered the strength to feebly reach out for the sun above before closing his eyes. A vortex of dark and angry thoughts swept through his mind._

_He was angry. Angry at himself, angry at the sea, and above all…_

_Angry at _them_._

_As the last of his consciousness left him, his final thought burned itself in his mind and soul._

_**Let the sea send them all to their own watery graves…**_

* * *

Something hit his face. He knew immediately what it was.

A stray droplet of water.

His eyes flickered open. For a moment, he just laid there on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Then, slowly, he sat up. He was in the middle of a cavernous space. Where he was exactly, he didn't know, but he did know one thing.

He was alive.

Voices whispered in his head, telling him things he barely heard. All he could concentrate on was the fact that he was alive. He felt different… powerful. A dark smile spread across his face as he clutched the front of his shirt.

There was no heartbeat.


	2. The Blood Devil

**_Author's Note:_** The OC and heroine of this story is introduced in this chapter. Enjoy reading!

I do not own One Piece.

* * *

_**Chapter One - The Blood Devil**_

* * *

**_8:24 PM. May 6. Port Town of Pyreen, Whertes Island. New World. Grand Line._**

"I'm hungry," Luffy complained, rubbing his stomach. Nami, who stood just a few feet away, glared at him.

"You ate everything that was left in our fridge less than half an hour ago, Luffy! It's your fault that we have to stop at a town with a Marine base now to pick up more food supplies. Don't let me hear you say you're hungry again," Nami warned. Luffy gulped and nodded, looking away. He knew how terrifying the navigator could be sometimes. Satisfied, Nami turned back to the newspaper she was reading.

The Straw Hat Pirates were at the small port town of Pyreen on Whertes Island. Luffy's constant raids on the refrigerator, especially his most recent one, had resulted in a dire need to pick up more ingredients for meals. Pyreen was a relatively minor town known for its perfumes and fresh fish. Aside from that, it was home to a small Marine base under the command of a Lieutenant Weller. It was nothing the crew couldn't handle, but their goal was to lie low and not attract attention. At the moment, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, and Franky were still out in town getting supplies while Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Brook were waiting in an alley by the town square, hiding their faces with hats or sunglasses.

Zoro was silently leaning against the wall of the nearest building while Luffy, Usopp, and Brook engaged in antics of some sort. Nami was calmly reading the newspaper that had been printed just that morning. She was about to set it aside when something caught her attention in the Wanted Posters section.

"'Blood Devil Yumi'?" Nami read out loud, staring at a picture of a young woman. She was very beautiful and easily stood out among the others on the Wanted Posters page. Long blonde hair reached down to the middle of her back, contrasted by light skin and vibrant reddish pink eyes. She was fairly slim with an appealing bust. Nami scanned through the additional information about her on the side. _Female, age 21, height roughly 171 centimeters… huh, she's the same age as me. _That was when she saw the woman's bounty.

"800 million beri?!" Nami shrieked in shock, hands shaking as they held the newspaper. She realized how loud she'd been and quickly glanced around. Much to her relief, none of the townspeople walking around the town square seemed to have heard her or cared. On the other hand, her crewmates had. They all stopped what they were doing to stare at her in curiosity. Luffy was the first one to come over.

"What, what?" he asked excitedly, peering over her shoulder. He was shortly followed by the others, all curious to see what Nami was worked up about, even Zoro.

"Why is everyone gathered around Nami?" Chopper's voice piped up before Nami had a chance to explain. They turned their heads to see the rest of their crewmates walking toward them from the other end of the alley with shopping bags in hand.

"Ah, you guys finally finished shopping!" Luffy grinned in delight. "Come on over! Nami found something interesting in the newspaper!" At the mention of Nami's name, Sanji ran over to her side, singing about how they should have gone shopping together. Ignoring him, Nami cleared her throat and held up the newspaper so everyone could see.

"There's this pirate whose worth 800 million beri," Nami explained, pointing to the picture she'd been looking at earlier. "Blood Devil Yumi." Usopp's eyes bulged.

"That's twice as much as Luffy's bounty! And Luffy's pretty strong," Usopp exclaimed. He shuddered. "She must be some sort of monster." Almost immediately, Sanji bonked Usopp on the head with his fist, an irritated frown on his face.

"Usopp, you bastard! Are you blind?! You don't call a lady a monster, especially one as gorgeous as this!" Sanji reprimanded sharply, turning to look at the picture again with heart-filled eyes. Robin opened her mouth to offer her own input on the pirate when she suddenly closed it, looking out past Nami's head at the town square.

"Is something going on?" she wondered aloud. "The townspeople all seem to be gathering over there."

"Let's go see what's happening!" Luffy shouted excitedly, rushing off before anyone could say anything.

"Argh, Luffy!" Nami screamed after him in frustration. She folded the newspaper with a frown and started walking in his direction. "Honestly, he never waits! Let's go and make sure he doesn't get in any trouble." Knowing how troublesome Luffy could be sometimes, everyone agreed and headed off.

It didn't take long for them to catch up to where Luffy was. He was at the back of a crowd of townspeople who'd formed a large circle around something. They were whispering in low voices, looking at whatever was in the center.

"Luffy-" Nami started to scold him for his impatience, but he quickly cut her off.

"Is that shouting?" he interrupted, tilting his head in the direction of whatever the townspeople were looking at. "I think it is!" Eager to see what the commotion was all about, Luffy began pushing his way through the crowd up to the front. Nami groaned and quickly followed after him along with the others. When they'd finally made it to the front of the crowd, they all stopped suddenly in surprise.

In front of them was a rather serious scene: roughly forty Marines had formed a ring around a young woman. Each of them had their gun or sword pointed at her. The young woman herself had a pair of Kairoseki Cuffs around her wrists. A dark red gun with gray accents lay inside a holster attached to her right thigh. Then, hanging from a sword belt on her left hip was a katana with a black handle in a blood red scabbard. She wore a dark red spaghetti strap shirt with black short shorts and matching colored heels. A large man stood beside her, grasping her by the left arm tightly.

Nami's eyes widened in recognition at the sight of the woman, as did everyone else's. Usopp took a sharp intake of breath from beside her.

"Isn't that…?" he trailed off as Nami slowly unfolded the newspaper she held to the page they'd been inspecting earlier. A picture of a beautiful young woman stared up at her.

"Yeah. It's Blood Devil Yumi."

* * *

**_8:36 PM. May 6. Port Town of Pyreen, Whertes Island. New World. Grand Line._**

Yumi had been too careless. She'd stopped by the town to pick up supplies before hiding on a ship headed for the next island. She'd done it even while knowing there was a Marine base in town, thinking that she'd be able to evade them. She'd heard reports that the Marines there had average fighting skills and decided it was okay to head into town. Yumi had been completely unprepared for several experienced ambush teams that the Pyreen Marine Base had kept secret about. She'd fled into an alley, but a Marine in hiding had placed Kairoseki Cuffs on her. In the end, she had been cornered at the far end of the town square.

The man standing next to her, Lieutenant Weller, tightened his hold on her arm, eliciting a wince from Yumi.

"We finally caught you, Blood Devil Yumi," Weller sneered. "You've caused the Marines a lot of trouble, this year especially." Yumi said nothing but looked down, refusing to meet his gaze. He laughed, turning to one of the soldiers behind him.

"Call the Marine Headquarters with a Den Den Mushi and tell them we've captured the Blood Devil. Also, make sure they send an admiral and an entire fleet of ships out to retrieve this one," Weller ordered. Yumi's eyes widened a fraction of an inch, but she forced herself to stay calm. She needed to escape before one of the admirals arrived. Otherwise, she'd be heading towards her own execution for sure. She'd killed and injured too many people to deserve anything less than death. _I can't die yet._

"Yes, sir!" the soldier behind him promptly lowered his gun and pulled out a Den Den Mushi, turning away to make the call. Weller returned his attention to Yumi, a sneer still on his face.

"You'll most likely be executed," Weller told her. She already knew. He didn't have to state the obvious. "This is just a hospitality. When the backup gets here, you'll be in a world of hell. What a shame for such a pretty lady." With that, he looked down at her chest. Disgusted, Yumi turned away, her mind whirling with ideas for escaping. She'd seen Weller slip the key into his coat pocket earlier. _If I could just get these Kairoseki Cuffs off… _She'd teach them a lesson they'd never forget. Unfortunately, she couldn't attempt anything, not with all the soldiers aiming their guns at her.

"Not going to say anything?" Weller growled. He increased the pressure on her arm again, and this time, Yumi cried out in pain.

"LET GO OF HER!" a male voice suddenly yelled. Surprised at the yell, both Yumi and Weller looked over in time to see a man in a suit throw his sunglasses aside and kick two Marine soldiers out of the way. Immediately, all of the Marines started shooting at him, but the bullets never reached their intended target.

"Gomu Gomu no Fusen!" a boy shouted, jumping in front of Sanji. He suddenly inflated himself, reflecting the bullets back at the Marines who scattered under the fire.

"What the…? Isn't that Black Leg Sanji and Straw Hat Luffy?!" Weller's voice rose in volume. "What are they doing here?" Yumi was equally shocked. As a fellow pirate, there was no way she _wouldn't_ know about them. They were some of the most famous pirates around. She watched as the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates joined the fray, taking out the Marines one by one. The townspeople fled the scene, running for shelter. _Why did they reveal themselves? And why are they helping me?_

Whatever the case, she needed to use the confusion to her advantage and beside her, Weller was too stunned to speak. She soon felt his grip loosen on her arm. _Now!_ In an instant, she'd kicked powerfully at his side, digging her heel into a vital spot.

Groaning in pain, Weller let go of her arm completely and fell backward, clutching his side tenderly. Yumi swiftly knelt down and grabbed the key to the Kairoseki Cuffs from his pocket. Now the only problem was inserting the key into her own cuffs. Clumsily, she tried putting the key into the lock and turning it, but with her limited hand movement, it was impossible to properly unlock the cuffs.

"Come on," Yumi muttered pleadingly, attempting to unlock her cuffs again. She was so absorbed in unlocking the Kairoseki Cuffs that she didn't hear the Marine coming up to her from behind until the last moment. She turned just as the soldier was slashing his sword down at her. Her eyes widened as the blade descended.

_It's over._

In a split-second, a man with green hair came between her and the Marine, parrying the blow and delivering his own. The Marine cried out and fell back, a large gash across his chest. Turning around, the stranger glanced down at Yumi who was still on the ground, the key in her cuffed hands. She blinked once, recognizing the man as Roronoa Zoro of the Straw Hat Pirates. He'd saved her.

"Thank you," she told him sincerely, but before she could say anything else, Zoro sheathed his swords and hauled her up by the arm. She stumbled slightly, but he steadied her with his arms before taking the key from her. His eyes went to her katana for a moment in interest.

"You're welcome," he grunted, unlocking her cuffs and throwing them aside without so much as a second glance. Yumi glanced down at her freed hands, relishing how light they felt without the cuffs on anymore. She could feel her energy returning to her in full force.

It was time to return the hospitality the Pyreen Marines had shown her.

"You don't have to do anything," Yumi told Zoro, noticing him unsheathing his swords once more. He glanced at her, a single eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Oh really?" was all he said. She chose not to explain her words and turned away, concentrating on the battle going on around her. A familiar feeling coursed through her body like fire.

The feeling of bloodlust.

"Chi Chi no…" Yumi murmured softly, holding her right arm out to the side. Zoro's eyes widened as blood began dripping from her index finger. "Missiles." In one fluid motion, she flicked her hand out. The blood that had been dripping from her finger suddenly expanded into large, jagged needles of solidified blood as they flew through the air and embedded themselves in vital spots of all the remaining Marines. The precision they'd been aimed with could only be described as inhuman.

One by one, the soldiers fell to the ground, blood gushing out from their wounds. Luffy and his crew stopped fighting in a mixture of horror and surprise as all that was left of the battle was a field of corpses with pools of blood spilling around them. Slowly, they all looked over at Yumi.

She stood in the middle of the fallen bodies wearing a bitter smile, her left hand lightly holding her right arm. Zoro, who was standing right next to her, could clearly see the conflict raging in her eyes and the various emotions than ran rampant in them. In all his adventures with Luffy, he'd never seen something like what he'd just witnessed.

"I'm the one known as the Blood Devil…" Yumi spoke quietly.

"I ate the Chi Chi no Mi."


	3. A Dangerous Recruit

**_Author's Note: _**Here's chapter two! Please consider submitting a review when you're done reading. c:

Remember, I don't own One Piece, just my OC.

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_**Chapter Two - A Dangerous **__**Recruit**_

* * *

**_8:59 PM. May 6. Port Town of Pyreen, Whertes Island. New World. Grand Line._**

"The Chi Chi no Mi…?" Brook was the first to break the silence that followed Yumi's words.

"I've never heard of that Devil Fruit before," Robin remarked quietly, much to the surprise of her crewmates. Robin was their archaeologist. She'd read many books and gained a lot of knowledge as a result, not to mention she was a Devil Fruit user herself. If she didn't know about the Chi Chi no Mi Fruit, then it was a true mystery.

"That's right. It's a Blood Blood Fruit," Yumi confirmed, still wearing a bitter smile. A groan of pain reached her ears. When she turned around, she saw that Weller was starting to sit up from the hit he'd taken earlier. He was glowering at her.

"How dare you do that to me, you monster?" Weller spat at her, coughing up some blood. He started to get to his feet. "I'll fucking kill you-" Zoro started to move, but Yumi beat him to it.

"Chi Chi no Missile," Yumi uttered. She hadn't even finished speaking when a needle of blood shot from her finger and pierced Weller's chest. Blood spurted from his mouth again, and with one last groan of pain, he fell back down. Yumi's voice was soft when she spoke again. "And I already know that I'm a monster… I know." The Straw Hat Crew watched in shocked silence. Surrounded by dead bodies, they all shared the same thought: was one person really capable of all this…?

"I wouldn't be surprised if you guys thought I was a monster, too," Yumi directed her next words at the Straw Hats, not accusingly. She turned around and started to leave, calling over her shoulder, "I don't know why you helped me today, but… thank you."

"Hey!" Luffy suddenly shouted. Surprised, Yumi stopped and turned around to face the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. He wore an unusually serious expression on his face for once.

"Yes?"

"Join my crew!"

"What?" Yumi's eyes widened. She wasn't the only one who was shocked by Luffy's invitation. The "cowards" of the crew – Nami, Usopp, and Chopper – shouted at Luffy and told him it was a bad idea while others – such as Robin, Franky, and Zoro – shared knowing looks. It should have been obvious Luffy would ask the Blood Devil to join their group. Brook and Sanji – the perverts of the crew – seemed more than happy that Luffy had asked Yumi to join. That'd mean another cute girl on the crew for them.

"I don't think you're a monster," Luffy's serious voice rose above the others, and when his crew mates heard their captain talk, they went silent. The boy suddenly broke into a grin, his tone becoming more cheerful. "You're pretty cool, actually! I wouldn't help someone who's really bad. So join my crew!"

Yumi was beyond stunned. She'd never been asked to join a pirate crew before. Her power made her a valuable ally, but most pirates were scared off by it. They always saw her as a monster who could turn on them and kill them just as easily as her enemies. Luffy, though, seemed to believe otherwise. She opened her mouth to answer but closed it, unable to find words to respond with.

"Oi, woman," Zoro suddenly addressed her. He was the one who'd saved her and unlocked her cuffs. "We already have two monsters on this ship: me and that thickheaded idiot over there we call our captain. Adding another won't hurt."

"You just contradicted what Luffy said about her not being a monster," Robin chuckled as their captain frowned. Sanji jumped forward with an irritable frown himself.

"You stupid moss head! I'm just as strong as you are. Don't address her as 'woman', too. You must call a lady by her name!" Sanji yelled at him. "And don't say she's a monster!" Zoro narrowed his eyes.

"What'd you call me, curly eyebrows? I can say what I want," Zoro growled, and the two began bickering with each other. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper began arguing with Luffy again over Yumi's recruitment while Yumi herself watched from a distance, not knowing what to do. She needed to make a decision and leave soon. She hadn't forgotten that the Pyreen Marines had contacted the Marine Headquarters. By now, an admiral was probably on their way with a fleet of ships. She didn't want to get captured again by the Marines.

As if sensing her worrisome thoughts, the chef of the Straw Hat Pirates suddenly stopped arguing with Zoro and bounded over.

"My lady, is there something troubling you?" he asked sweetly with adoring eyes. "I am at your service if you need me."

"Ah…" Yumi trailed off, remembering how the man had yelled at Weller. She offered a small smile. "You're the one who started fighting with the Marines first. Thank you. I was able to get the key for my cuffs because of you."

"AH," Sanji suddenly stumbled backwards, a fountain of blood erupting from his nose. Yumi took a step back herself with wide eyes.

"A-Are you okay?"

"Yes! I am more than fine after seeing that smile of yours! I will be more than happy to save a beautiful lady like you again, mademoi-"

"Shut it," Zoro interrupted, grabbing Sanji by the back of his collar and hauling him away. He called over his shoulder, "This bastard's a ladies man. He saved you because you're a woman… not a monster."

"Trying to make up for what you said before?" Robin smiled in amusement. Zoro's eye twitched, but he said nothing in response. Sanji quickly recovered from his nosebleed and started quarreling with Zoro again while Yumi just stood there in silence again, unsure of what to say. She'd been saved because she was a good person? They didn't think she was a monster? When she looked at the Straw Hats, she saw an easygoing crew that went against the reputation they had in the pirate world. They were so different from what the rumors said about them…

"I won't take no for an answer, so join my crew, Yumi!" Luffy told her again. He was grinning widely, obviously waiting for her to accept his invitation. "Hurry and say yes!" _That's right, I need to hurry… An admiral is on their way to this town. _Looking at the floor, Yumi opened her mouth.

"I'll join your crew."

"HUH?" the cowards of the crew whirled to face her with bulging eyes. "Why?!" They didn't think she'd really join…!

"…There's something I have to do in the New World," Yumi finally answered. She lifted her head and looked directly into Luffy's eyes. "I might be able to accomplish my goals if I join you guys, so I will. But do you know what it will mean if I join your crew? I'm highly sought after by the government. They'll go to great ends to find and capture me. Even now, an admiral is on their way with a fleet of ships just to bring me back to Marine Headquarters. Do you still want me to join even while knowing I'll bring danger to your crew?"

"Yes," Luffy didn't hesitate even for a split-second. He laughed and adjusted his straw hat. In the background, the cowards of the crew were busy shrieking about Marine admirals and danger. "I really want you on my crew, Yumi! I don't care about the Marines."

"If they come, we'll just cut them down. It doesn't matter if one admiral comes or all of them," Zoro added, glancing down at his swords with a smirk. Yumi didn't know whether they were stupid, confident, or both, but she suspected it was the latter. She couldn't say she trusted the crew entirely, but she supposed that, if given time, she might actually call them her most important friends.

"Then I hope we get along well from now on," Yumi smiled. She quickly dropped the smile for a more serious expression. "We should probably hurry and leave this town. As I said before, an admiral from HQ is on their way."

"Alright!" Luffy beamed at her, happy that she was a part of their crew now. "Everyone, back to the ship!" As the Straw Hat Pirates picked up their supplies and quickly ran in the direction of their ship, Yumi trailed behind and took one last look at the square littered with dead Marines.

_More deaths._

Her eyes clouded over. Without a word, she turned and followed after the Straw Hats. She couldn't stop now.

She could only keep moving on.

* * *

**_9:24 PM. May 6. Port Town of Pyreen, Whertes Island. New World. Grand Line._**

"By the Sea Devil, what happened here…?" a Marine soldier whispered in horror, stopping in his tracks. Likewise, his fellow soldiers stopped advancing to stare at the bloody battlefield before them. They'd come directly from Marine Headquarters to Pyreen Town upon receiving a call from the Marine base there, but it appeared that they'd come too late. Dead bodies of Marines were strewn all across the square, each lying in a pool of their own blood. Lt. Weller's corpse, the commander of the base in town, lay in the center. There were no survivors.

"Dammit, we came too late…!" a Marine with a 'Captain' badge gritted his teeth in frustration. "We finally got a hold of Blood Devil Yumi, too!"

"Now, now, let's calm down," the man beside him smiled. He was easily recognizable by his striped suit and the admiral coat draped over his shoulders. It was Borsalino, more commonly known as 'Kizaru'. "She can't be too far away. Make preparations to search the surrounding seas immediately, Captain Goro."

"Yes, sir!" Goro straightened up and was about to leave when one of their soldiers burst onto the scene, shouting at the top of his lungs for them. Goro snapped at him, "What is it?"

"I questioned some of the townspeople who were hiding nearby when the battle went on. They said they saw the Straw Hat Pirates fighting the Pyreen Marines with Blood Devil Yumi," the soldier explained in a hurry. Goro's eyebrows jumped.

"What?! Are they all working together?" Goro exclaimed.

"It's the only explanation," Kizaru stroked his chin for a moment. Turning to the soldier who'd given them the report, he smiled coldly. "Bring me a Den Den Mushi. I need to contact HQ."

"Some wanted posters need changing."

* * *

**_9:27 PM. May 6. Hallways, Thousand Sunny. Open Sea. New World. Grand Line._**

They'd successfully left Pyreen Town and gotten away from whichever admiral had been sent to retrieve Yumi. Franky showed her around the ship (it made sense that the shipwright would want to give her the official tour instead of the others) which she thought was pretty magnificent, much to Franky's delight.

"It's a suuuuper ship!" he agreed happily, posing in an odd but humorous position when they finished the tour. "Do you want to head back to the kitchen for dinner? Sanji's a super chef!" Yumi shook her head. She didn't feel like eating, not to mention she didn't want the others to feel uncomfortable around her. It was obvious that some of them disliked her presence, and she didn't feel too comfortable around them yet herself. She'd only just met them less than an hour ago.

"Sorry, I don't feel too hungry. I think I'll shower and head to sleep early," Yumi explained. "Thanks for the tour, though, and if it's not too much to ask for, could I have a separate room for myself?" Aside from not wanting to make Nami and Robin (mostly Nami) uncomfortable, she had her own reasons for wanting her own room to sleep in.

"No problem," Franky grinned. "And sure! There's actually a super extra bedroom you can use on the second floor by the women's quarters. The bath is down that hall. I'll ask Robin to drop some extra clothes for you inside the bathhouse and in your bedroom." She waved goodbye to him before making her way to the bathhouse, grateful for his kindness and the fact that Franky didn't seem to mind her as much as the others.

Now, to slowly get accustomed to the rest of the crew…

* * *

**_9:48 PM. May 6. Yumi's Bedroom. Floor 2, Thousand Sunny. Open Sea. New World. Grand Line._**

Done showering, she lay in the bed of her new room, gazing up at the unfamiliar ceiling above. Before joining the Straw Hats, Yumi had simply sneaked onto ship after ship to go to places. Now she'd boarded a ship that she'd be a resident of for a good while yet. It felt strange knowing she had a place to stay after all the traveling she'd done…

Her hearing was keen enough that she could pick up the sounds of the Straw Hats eating dinner from all the way across the ship. Yumi could hear them laughing boisterously as they ate. For a moment she felt like joining them, but quickly quelled the feeling. It'd only make things awkward if she intruded on them now. Still, they sounded like they were having fun.

Fun… She honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd had fun, not since her childhood at least. A needle of pain shot through Yumi's heart at the thought of her childhood. As much as she wanted to forget it, she couldn't.

She never would.

Tuning out the distant laughter of the Straw Hat Pirates, Yumi closed her eyes and settled in for a night's sleep.


	4. Questionable Secrets

_**Author's Note: **_Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed the story so far: _princesslolitatheorca654, alittlebitlate, AkGold, _and_ WateRipplE._ Your reviews really motivated me to continue the story despite my fears that it was not well received. So as a thank you, here's an early release of chapter three! I apologize if I'm a bit slow in tying the actual plot to the story. It might be slow at first, but please bear with me!

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

* * *

_**Chapter Three - Questionable Secrets**_

* * *

_She was standing in the middle of a cold stone floor. Darkness hid her surroundings._

_"Run," a man's voice whispered._

_Over and over again, it urged her to run. She could hear the desperation in his voice, but as much as she wanted to do what he said, her legs wouldn't move. She could feel it, too: something was wrong. She swung her head wildly from side to side, attempting to find the source of the voice, but it was impossible. It seemed to come from all directions._

_Finally, she closed her eyes and grabbed her head, willing the voice to stop._

_It did._

_She slowly opened her eyes again and lowered her hands from her head. That was when she saw it._

_Blood._

_Her hands were covered with it. She watched in mute horror as the dark red liquid transformed into a solid sword of blood that she held in her right hand. A loud 'thump' sound came from behind her._

_Her legs finally moved. Whirling around, she saw what had caused the noise and fell to her knees, eyes wide with disbelief._

_A man lay face down on the floor with gashes in his back… gashes that looked like they'd come from a sword._

Her_ sword._

_One by one, corpses with similar injuries toppled forward from the darkness and piled up around her. She was suddenly suffocating in the scent of blood and death. With shaking hands, she dropped the sword she held just as the same voice from before whispered in her ear._

_"You did all of this… you monster."_

_A corpse appeared from the darkness and started to fall right on top of her._

_She screamed._

* * *

**_7:31 AM. May 7. Yumi's Bedroom. Floor 2, Thousand Sunny. Open Sea. New World. Grand Line._**

Yumi woke up drenched in cold sweat, her hair and clothes plastered to her skin. She was panting heavily as she sat up, eyes wide with fear. It took a moment for her to realize it had only been a dream. When she did, she managed to relax, but only slightly. Yumi's hand shook as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Her heart was racing at a million miles per hour. This was why she'd requested a bedroom for herself.

Nightmares. She'd had them for as long as she could remember. Yumi hadn't had a good night's sleep in over ten years. No matter how many times the nightmares visited her in her sleep, she could never get used to them. _It's a good thing I have a bedroom to myself. Nami and Robin would ask a lot of questions if they woke up and saw me like this._

Her heart was still racing when she swung herself out of bed and headed for the washroom outside. There was no point in going back to sleep.

Only nightmares were waiting for her.

* * *

**_7:48 AM. May 7. Dining Room. Floor 2, Thousand Sunny. Open Sea. New World. Grand Line._**

Seventeen minutes later, Yumi was sitting awkwardly in the dining room with the rest of the Straw Hats while Sanji cooked in the kitchen. All of them, that is, except for Nami. Chopper and Usopp sat as far away from her as possible, giving her fearful looks every few seconds. While she'd expected some degree of unease and fear, it still sent a small sting of pain through her heart. The others didn't seem to mind her as much. Zoro seemed indifferent to her presence, Brook asked to see her panties (which she learned was normal for him to say), Franky said something or other was super, Luffy bounced up and down in his seat excitedly in anticipation of breakfast, and Robin asked about how she'd slept.

"Well enough," Yumi lied, not wanting the others to know about her nightmares. It was the half-truth. Compared to some of her other nightmares, the one she'd had that morning was a pleasant wake up call.

"I see," Robin smiled. Her eyes drifted down to Yumi's clothes. "You're wearing your clothes from yesterday. Did you not like the ones I brought you?"

"Oh no," Yumi shook her head. "They were pretty, and thank you for them, but I felt more comfortable in my own clothes." Even sleeping in Robin's extra nightgown had felt uncomfortable for her.

"I understand," Robin said kindly, taking no offense that Yumi hadn't worn her clothes. She smiled warmly at her. "We should go shopping sometime this week and pick out some clothes for you, Miss Blood Devil[1]." Yumi was about to protest and ask Robin why she hadn't addressed her by her name when the door suddenly banged open. Everyone looked up in surprise as Nami stomped towards them, waving around a newspaper with wide eyes. Even Sanji popped his head out of the kitchen to see what the matter was.

"The morning newspaper just arrived," Nami explained as she slammed the newspaper down onto the dining table with shaking hands. "Our faces are on the front cover! They've completely updated our bounties and everything. They found out about Yumi joining our crew, too. The townspeople of Pyreen probably told the Marines that they saw us fighting together."

"WHAT?" Usopp leaned forward as far as he could go, straining to see the newspaper for himself. It was true; their wanted posters were really on the first page of the newspaper with new pictures. "Nami, read the bounties out loud!"

"Usopp, Chopper, and I are all worth 180 million beri now. Franky and Brook: 200 million each. Robin: 250 million. Sanji: 300 million. Zoro: 400 million. Luffy: 600 milllion," Nami suddenly stopped, crumpling the corner of the newspaper in her fist in shock. "…Yumi: 1 billion beri… That's a total of 3.49 billion beri…" Everyone was suddenly shouting and crowding around Nami to take a closer look at the newspaper themselves.

Sanji was crying tears of joy, sobbing about how the Marines had finally gotten a good picture of him until Zoro pointed out that his bounty was still higher than the chef's, which caused the two to get into an argument like they so often did. Chopper was ecstatic that he wasn't treated as a 'pet' anymore. Nami and Usopp were mourning over their new bounties because they didn't want to stand out. Franky, Robin, and Brook were chatting happily with each other about the wanted posters, and Luffy was just laughing loudly. Yumi was looking at her own wanted poster with dread, though she secretly felt proud of her newest bounty.

"Jeez, Yumi, just how badly do the Marines want to capture you?" Luffy grinned broadly at her. "You're worth a billion beri now!" At that, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over. It was the question all of them had on their minds: just what exactly had Yumi done to get such a high bounty?

"I agree with Luffy," Zoro narrowed his eyes at her. He might have helped Luffy recruit Yumi a little, but that didn't mean he didn't have his doubts about her. "Even our own bounties went up after we helped you out. What are you hiding?" Yumi stared back at Luffy and Zoro with a guarded expression, saying nothing. The room was silent until Robin spoke up.

"Let's save the questions for after breakfast," Robin suggested with a smile. The tension in the room disappeared as Sanji headed back into the kitchen to bring out the food. Grateful that the older woman had helped push the questions back until later, Yumi leaned back in her seat and started to think of the questions to come.

At least she had some time to think about what she was going to say now.

* * *

**_8:39 AM. May 7. Dining Room. Floor 2, Thousand Sunny. Open Sea. New World. Grand Line._**

After everyone finished eating breakfast (Sanji had prepared blueberry pancakes) and the plates were cleaned, they all sat down at the dining room table looking at Yumi. She shifted slightly in her seat, waiting.

"Right. Now that we've had breakfast, why don't we all ask Yumi-san some questions to get to know her better?" Brook smiled at the young woman in question. "Could I please see your pa-" A quick slap from Nami stopped Brook from finishing his sentence.

"Can we please be serious?" Nami snapped at him, settling back into her seat again.

"Why did you become a pirate?" Luffy suddenly asked, surprising everyone with his rather serious question and expression. They all mentally face palmed when he grinned cheekily a moment later, resuming his carefree self. "Everyone here became one for a reason! We all have dreams. Mine is to become the Pirate King!"

"Pirate King?" Yumi echoed. _What an ambitious dream._

"Yeah!" Luffy turned to his crew mates with expectant eyes. "Everyone else should share their dreams with Yumi, too!" There was a bit of grumbling from people like Zoro and Usopp who didn't want to share their dreams, but they all took turns and shared their aspirations in the end. When they were done, they turned to look at Yumi again. She hesitated before opening her mouth.

"I became a pirate because I wanted answers… and revenge," Yumi answered, looking away.

"And why is that?" Franky prompted.

"I…" she hesitated before shaking her head slightly. "I can't tell you that right now. Maybe later…" Yumi wanted to tell them, she really did, but she didn't consider them her true crew mates just yet. She didn't think she could actually spill forth her entire history to them the day after she'd joined.

"The hell?" Zoro snarled, leaning forward. "Each of us just told you our own reasons-" A hand popped out of nowhere and covered Zoro's mouth, cutting him off. It was Robin's, who'd used her powers to call forth an extra hand.

"We understand," Robin simply said with a smile, and everyone gaped at her. Some of them shared Zoro's feelings. Robin continued, "Don't we? It's like when I first joined. I didn't exactly tell anyone anything right away, did I?"

Everyone stopped a moment to think. It was true; Yumi's situation was similar to Robin's when she'd first joined the crew. They'd been suspicious of her at first, but it turned out they had nothing to worry about. Suddenly everyone was nodding and murmuring about how it made sense she wouldn't want to tell them just yet. Zoro was the only one who still seemed a little dissatisfied, leaning back in his chair with a slight frown. Yumi herself felt relieved that she didn't have to answer such a personal question for the time being. Nami cleared her throat.

"Moving on, can you tell us about your power?" the navigator asked. "I've never seen anything like it. Robin and I checked the official Devil Fruit book last night and didn't see the Chi Chi no Mi mentioned anywhere in it." Finally, a question Yumi could bring herself to answer. She felt somewhat bad for letting the others down previously.

"According to the Marines I've encountered in the past, the Devil Fruit I ate is an unknown one that's never been seen before. It's actually not too uncommon for there to be unidentified Devil Fruits, but still, even I don't know much about the origins of the Chi Chi no Mi," Yumi placed a hand on the table as she talked, letting blood come out of her finger and twist around in the air. The Straw Hats leaned in closer to watch, allowing her to see the various emotions on their faces: fascination, curiosity, a bit of horror.

She continued, "The Chi Chi no Mi falls under the Paramecia category. It allows me to generate and manipulate blood. If I'm running extremely low on energy and can't generate blood, I usually just control my own blood, and in cases like that I have to return the blood to my bloodstream after I use it for combat purposes. Otherwise, I'd faint due to a lack of it. I can also control other people's blood, but it's a little more difficult."

"Wait, s-so you can technically control other people then?" Usopp gulped. Yumi smiled bitterly.

"Yes. It's easier if I inject my own blood into their bloodstream first. From there, my blood takes control of the rest of their system, making them a living puppet essentially," she explained. She didn't miss the look of horror Usopp and Chopper shared but went on with her explanation of her power. "I can form objects or animate creatures with my blood, too, like small birds or insects that can move around on their own. Other uses of my power include being able to extract substances like poison from blood or transforming blood into a certain blood type." This piqued Chopper's interest.

"Wow, that's pretty useful for medical purposes!" Chopper said in spite of his fear of Yumi. His eyes were glittering with wonder and amazement. "That's really cool!" Yumi blinked in confusion, taken aback by his words. She wasn't used to hearing people say positive things about her powers.

"It's certainly interesting," Robin agreed. "It sounds like a very useful ability to have." _Useful, but also a cursed power._

_You don't know everything about it._

"Perhaps," Yumi murmured. She let the blood she'd generated while talking disappear before dropping her hand to her side. A silence befell the room. Everyone was taking some time to process the information they'd just received from Yumi.

"What about your weapons?" Zoro's voice broke the quiet. He was referring to her katana and pistol. "I don't see a point in you having them if you can just create weapons from blood. Are you skilled at using them?" There was a sort of predatory glint in his eyes as he talked.

"That would depend on the opponent, but yes, I do think I'm pretty skilled," Yumi said softly, setting her two weapons on the table. "While it's true I can create weapons from blood using my powers, I might not always be able to. For instance, what if I was too weak to use my powers or I had my powers sealed with Kairoseki? That's why I carry around these two weapons. This pistol was one I picked up in town a long time ago. I place solidified blood bullets into it beforehand for battle."

"And your katana?" Zoro stared at the weapon almost hungrily. It was probably because he was a swordsman that he was so interested in it.

"Its name is 'Red Carnage'. It's a family heirloom," Yumi slowly unsheathed the sword, letting the others take a look at it. The blade was a blood red color, a fitting choice for its master. After everyone had taken a glimpse of it, she placed it back in its case and put the weapons on her person again. "…The katana is imbued with blood." Usopp sucked in his breath.

"_Whose_ blood?" he demanded in a trembling voice. Yumi didn't answer, wearing a guarded expression much like when Luffy and Zoro had first tried to question her.

"Oi," Zoro suddenly addressed her. "Let's have a match."

"Zoro, what are you saying?" Nami's eyes widened, but Zoro ignored her. His eyes were locked with Yumi's.

"I want to see your skills with a blade. If I win, you'll tell me whose blood it is that's on your katana and what you're hiding," Zoro said as he rose to his feet, smirking. His right hand rested on the handle of his sword, Shusui. Yumi rose to her feet as well, eyes never leaving his.

"…And what if _I_ win?" she finally said, finding the challenge interesting. Zoro's smirk grew wider.

"I'll stop prying into your past and wait until you're ready to tell us everything. I'll even do whatever you want for a day," he offered with a laugh. Most of the crew gaped at his offer. "Although that's never going to happen."

"We'll see about that," Yumi's eyes narrowed slightly. She didn't like how he was taking her abilities lightly.

"I accept your challenge."

* * *

**[1]**_ Miss Blood Devil_ - When she first joined the crew, Robin didn't call everyone by their names. For example, she called Zoro Mr. Swordsman, Usopp Mr. Long Nose, etc. She calls Yumi by her epithet to be polite and also because there is still some distance between them.


	5. Of Blades and Bloodlust

_**Author's Note:**_ Hello, everyone! First and foremost, I would like to apologize for the long wait. I am so, so, so terribly sorry that I haven't updated in so long. A lot of things happened between now and the last time I updated, and I was caught up in it all. My studies also played a part in the delay. ;u; Moving on, I will still be continuing _Devil Origins_. However, and much to my regret, I cannot make any promises about weekly or biweekly updates, etc. I can tentatively say the next chapter should be up by the end of September, though.

Again, I'm very sorry that I haven't updated in forever. It did make me very happy to see that my fanfiction was still getting viewed and stuff when I logged back on today, and that's what drove me to finally upload chapter four. c; Thanks so much for the continued support, guys! Seriously, your reviews and kind words motivate me to keep going. Enjoy the latest chapter, and please consider submitting a review when you're done reading!

The usual disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

* * *

_**Chapter Four - Of Blades and Bloodlust**_

* * *

**_9:07 AM. May 7. Lawn Deck. Floor 3, Thousand Sunny. Open Sea. New World. Grand Line._**

They were out on the ship's lawn deck now. Yumi and Zoro stood at opposite ends of the grassy terrain. Their crew mates watched them from the tables and chairs set up nearby.

"I hope they don't damage the Thousand Sunny," Franky muttered under his breath as he watched them.

Yumi unsheathed her katana at the same time as Zoro. He'd selected Shusui for their match.

"Not going to use your traditional three-style attack?" Yumi called out. She'd heard much about Zoro's swordsmanship from fellow pirates and Marines alike. They all said he was extremely powerful, but she needed to win no matter what. She didn't want to have to explain anything to him.

"It's to make things fair," Zoro called back. "I think one sword will be more than enough, though." Yumi's eyes narrowed into thin slits. He was clearly underestimating her.

Red Carnage seemed to vibrate under her touch, almost as if it was eager to draw blood. It sent a similar fighting urge throughout her body. The blood that had been imbued into its blade… she could not afford to disgrace it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _I'll get this over with quickly. _

A moment later, her eyes flew open.

"Demon Howl," she uttered, slicing diagonally upward from her left hip. A shadowy projectile ripped through the air that seemed to scream as it raced towards Zoro. Yumi started charging forward before it had even reached its target.

"One Sword Style: 360 Pound Cannon!" Zoro swung his arm forward, sending an equally powerful projectile that countered Yumi's. The two attacks met head on and canceled out, earning some gasps from the other crew members. Unfazed, Yumi spun as she neared Zoro, lashing out with a spinning cut that Zoro quickly blocked. From there, they exchanged several rounds of close-range blows.

"I almost can't keep up with them because they're moving so fast," Chopper commented out loud. "They look like they're dancing!" Beside him, Usopp wordlessly nodded his head in agreement, keeping his eyes glued to the match. If he took his eyes off of Yumi or Zoro for one second, he'd definitely miss a large chunk of the action.

"You're as good as they say you are," Yumi remarked. She and Zoro currently had their blades pressed against each other. Both of them were pushing forward with all of their weight in an attempt to force the other down, but neither was budging.

"You're not too bad yourself," Zoro smirked, straining to knock her down through sheer strength. She needed to end their deadlock.

In one fluid motion, she suddenly spun to the side and held her katana straight up, using it to keep Zoro's weapon away from her while she spun. Then, without missing a beat, Yumi brought it straight down upon the green haired swordsman. She wasn't surprised when Zoro quickly stepped back and brought his katana up to parry the blow. In fact, she'd been hoping he'd do that.

She slammed her sword hard against his, using the impact to boost herself up and do a somersault over his head. As Yumi spun in the air above and passed him, she used her spinning motion to launch a twisting projectile which quickly transformed into several projectiles that spiraled outwards. "Spinning Hell!" Zoro was forced to jump back and block the projectiles that came at him. In the meantime, as soon as Yumi landed on the ground, she swiveled on her heel and came at Zoro with sword raised.

Her heart pounded heavily against her chest as she did so. A familiar rush of exhilaration and bloodlust coursed through her body, heightening her senses. It was only a simple challenge, not a real match with the enemy, but she was on high alert. She didn't face tough opponents like Zoro too often. Without her noticing it, Yumi's breath started getting more and more ragged, and it wasn't because she was tired.

She was hungry for blood.

Suddenly she was slashing wildly at Zoro, her every movement deadly and precise. Yumi wasn't even thinking anymore. Her body just moved on its own, years and years of experience and pure instincts taking over. With every blow she aimed at Zoro, her pace seemed to pick up a little. Zoro noticed this, of course, and was startled by the intensity of her attacks. Her movements had somehow changed in the middle of the match. Glancing at Yumi, he was even more surprised to see the look in her eyes: they had the intent to kill.

Something had changed in her.

"Shit," Zoro cursed to himself as he quickly parried several strikes from Yumi. He was forced to defend constantly against the woman's relentless onslaught of attacks, and she was only getting faster and faster.

In just a split-second, the entire situation changed: an almost sadistic smile, a small but powerful projectile of compressed air added into the barrage of sword strikes, and then Shusui flew far above his head, lodging itself into the lawn deck several yards behind him. Yumi was already thrusting her sword at him for the finishing blow by the time he'd registered what happened.

She was going to kill him.

* * *

_Don't stop._

The thought repeated itself in her mind. Other than that, Yumi didn't think. Her mind was in a haze as she kept striking at her opponent. All she needed to do was win like she'd always done and survive. She merely moved with the intent to kill.

_Kill?_

Who was she fighting again?

And then the haze was lifted from her mind, the thirst for blood dissipated. She saw Zoro standing in front of her without a sword, her own speeding toward him, and her eyes widened.

_NO!_

Her arm came to an abrupt stop, the tip of her katana less than a centimeter away from plunging itself into Zoro's throat. Yumi was breathing heavily, much like she had that morning when she'd first woken up from her nightmare. Her eyes were still wide with shock as she looked at Zoro. He was staring back at her with equally wide eyes, eyes that reflected a swirling mess of emotions she couldn't quite make out.

She'd almost killed him.

Without a word, she sheathed her sword and turned around. She barely saw the other crew members – all of them wore shocked expressions and looked as if they'd jumped up from their chairs in a hurry, probably because of what had almost happened – and marched past them, heading for her room. For a moment, no one spoke. Then:

"Yumi… beat Zoro…" Franky's voice was quiet with disbelief, and then everyone unfroze and began conversing in low tones at once. Zoro made no move to join his crew mates. He stood where he was, his heart still racing from what had occurred just moments before. He'd lost the match and nearly died in the process. The green haired swordsman could still see Yumi's eyes full of murderous intention. One thought plagued his mind.

"What _was_ that?"

* * *

**_9:31 AM. May 7. Yumi's Bedroom. Floor 2, Thousand Sunny. Open Sea. New World. Grand Line._**

Yumi slammed the door shut behind her, locking it before sliding down to the ground. She brought her shaking hands up to her face and stared at them.

She'd almost killed Zoro. For a moment, she thought she saw blood on her hands just like in the nightmare she'd had.

Yumi let out a choked sob before squeezing her eyes shut.

In the deepest crevices of her heart, she could still feel the bloodlust raging inside of her.

* * *

**_3:08 AM. May 8. Yumi's Bedroom. Floor 2, Thousand Sunny. Open Sea. New World. Grand Line. _**

Yumi awoke with a start. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead.

_Another nightmare._

This one had been worse than the last. She glanced over at the clock hanging on the wall. It was 3:08 in the morning. Breakfast was still a few hours away. After the duel with Zoro, she'd stayed in her room all day. Sanji had had to come by her room and drop off meals for her. She just hadn't been able to face Zoro after what had happened.

She shut her eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but her pounding heart made sleeping impossible. With a sigh, Yumi got out of bed and left her room, quietly shutting the door behind her so she wouldn't wake the others. She wiped the sweat off her brow as she headed for the lawn deck, intending to clear her head with fresh air.

Stepping outside, Yumi found that the night air was cool. She silently made her way across the lawn deck to the railing. The moon cast a glow over the calm water, lighting up a path across it. Looking out over the sea at night was calming, she thought. Her heart rate was finally returning to normal when she heard quiet footsteps from behind her.

Spinning around, her eyes met Zoro's. He abruptly stopped where he was by one of the entrances to the men's quarters, eyes widening at the sight of her. An awkward silence settled between them. She tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind. Yumi eventually turned back around to face the sea. She heard Zoro unfreeze and move toward her.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked when he'd finally reached her side. The swordsman focused his gaze on the sea.

"…Yeah. You?" Yumi answered quietly. Zoro gave a brief nod before they fell into silence again.

"I'm sorry for earlier," Yumi spoke again. She turned to look at him with apologetic eyes. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"Why are you apologizing?" Zoro turned to face her with a slight frown. "I asked for a challenge and you gave me one. I lost, so as promised, I'll stop prying into your past and do what you want for a day." Despite his words, she could sense he was still curious about her past, though he was trying hard to hide it.

"But I almost killed you-"

"'Almost'," Zoro pointed out. "I wouldn't have let you kill me. I'm not that weak." She was about to respond with, "You don't know for sure", but thought better of it, letting the matter slide.

"You didn't lose," Yumi said instead. Zoro raised an eyebrow. "I didn't really win." _I need to make amends. _She owed him an explanation.

"How?"

"During the match, I unconsciously drew powers from my katana," Yumi explained. She hesitated before continuing. "My katana… I mentioned before that it's imbued with blood. Without realizing it, I started controlling the blood around my blade and manipulated it so that the blood hardened, making the sword stronger and harder. I… kind of got carried away after that. So you see, I wasn't being fair at all. Besides, I would have definitely lost if you'd used three swords instead of one. We can call it a draw-"

"A draw is the same as a loss to me," Zoro interjected, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked imposing in the glow of the moonlight. "So I'm going to keep my end of the deal no matter what you say." There was no use arguing. His eyes held a steely determination. He was a surprisingly honorable man, and Yumi couldn't quite say she hated that about him. She was quiet for a moment.

"You said you wanted to know whose blood my katana was imbued with if you won… and what I was hiding. I still think it's a draw, so I'll tell you a little bit," Yumi finally said. She almost couldn't believe she was about to tell Zoro some of her secrets. The green haired man seemed just as surprised as Yumi felt. _Maybe it's because I want to be honorable, too. _"The blood that's on my katana… It belongs to my parents." There was a faraway look in her eyes as she glanced off to the side.

"They were murdered a long time ago." Zoro's eyes widened.

"How did it happen-" Zoro started to ask, but quickly caught himself, remembering his end of the deal. His mind was swirling with questions for the young woman before him. Yumi blinked, returning her gaze back to Zoro.

"That's right. Don't forget about the deal. It's a story for another time and day," Yumi chuckled softly. Her voice suddenly dropped a little as she reached out to take a hold of the ship railing. "I'll tell you one other thing about myself… it relates to my powers and what happened in our match today. I didn't mention it during my explanation of my powers yesterday because I didn't want the others to know, but I'll tell you as an apology gift."

With a mind still full of questions, Zoro gave a small nod, indicating for Yumi to go on.

"When I told everyone about my Devil Fruit ability, I only talked about the basics and benefits of having it," Yumi's hands tightened on the railing. "I didn't mention how there was an issue with the Chi Chi no Mi. As far as I'm aware of, no other Paramecia fruit is like mine in this matter. The ability to control blood is powerful, yes, but it comes with a price other than not being able to swim like all Devil Fruit users… It affects me on a mental level." Once she started talking, the words spilled out of Yumi's mouth like a waterfall. She'd held them in for so long it almost felt good that she was letting them out to be heard.

"Maybe it's because the element I control is blood, or that I kill a lot of people, or even both, but sometimes when I'm fighting, I lose control of myself like today. Bloodlust takes over me. I usually don't realize what I've done until after the bloodlust wears off, but there are times when I forcefully break free like I did in our match. Those times rarely occur, though. These 'bloodlust attacks', as I like to call them, have happened more and more frequently this past year. I never know when the next attack will hit, or when they do come, if it'll eventually wear off or not. I might never snap out of the next one." She let go of the railing and looked at Zoro with a wry smile.

"I'm slowly losing my sanity."

* * *

In that moment, Yumi suddenly looked so fragile to Zoro, so vulnerable. She was trying to hide it, but he could see the agony and despair she felt in her bright eyes. He'd looked into the eyes of hundreds of enemies over the years, eventually learning to discern the various emotions he saw in them. Hers were among the most emotional and sorrowful Zoro had ever seen.

At the same time, she seemed so strong. Yumi was like fire, he thought. It could flicker and almost go out, but until it did, it kept burning intensely. He felt a sort of respect for her then that almost overrode any suspicions he still had about her. How long had she been fighting the bloodlust attacks?

He wondered what exactly she'd gone through to have eyes like those.

* * *

It was her greatest fear: losing the part of her that made her who she was and becoming a mindless killer. Her goals made weakness impossible, however, and she'd learned to keep the fear locked away. Every now and then it threatened to overwhelm her, but she pushed it back down and fought on. Her powers had become a part of her. Without them, she couldn't accomplish her goals.

Yumi watched as Zoro's eyes seemed to search her own, looking for something there. She abruptly turned away so he wouldn't see the fear she felt, letting her hair hide her face. She waited for him to say something, anything. The silence was almost unbearable.

"…When the world shoves you around, you just have to stand up and shove back," Zoro finally said, recalling words he'd spoken two years prior[1]. His hand tightened into a fist at his side. He could still clearly remember how powerless he'd been against Kuma at that time. "It's not my place to say this, but… don't let the attacks control you. Fight back against them. I don't think your fate is to succumb to those stupid bloodlust attacks."

Despite not knowing her very well, when he looked at her, he couldn't imagine her losing her sanity in the end. It was the same when he looked at Luffy; he couldn't see any other fate for him other than becoming the Pirate King, but perhaps that was also partly due to the fact that Zoro had such unshakable faith in his captain.

"How do you know my destiny lies elsewhere?" Yumi wanted to know. She desperately wished he was right, but her fear told her otherwise.

"I just do," Zoro shrugged. Yumi stifled a derisive laugh. She should have known. "Hey…"

"Yes?"

"Can I see your sword?" Her eyes widened.

"Why?"

"I'm a swordsman. Isn't that reason enough?" Truthfully, Yumi's sword had been on his mind all day. He felt drawn to it like a moth to flame.

Yumi considered his request carefully. She didn't see any harm in letting him see it…

Without a word, she headed to her room for Red Carnage.

* * *

"Here," Yumi handed Zoro her sword when she returned from her room. She watched nervously as he took and unsheathed Red Carnage, examining it by the glow of the moonlight. She had never let anyone else touch her sword before. It was ridiculous, but she half expected Zoro to cut her down right there and then with her own sword.

Yumi's fear vanished when she saw the gentle way in which Zoro handled Red Carnage and tested it out with light swings. She could tell he cared for swords deeply.

Reassured that Red Carnage was in good hands, she leaned back against the railing and silently observed Zoro.

* * *

The first thing he noticed was the bloodlust. It was faint, but he could sense it as he held Yumi's sword up. Zoro immediately thought of Sandai Kitetsu, one of his three swords. _They're both "problem children"…_ They seemed to have minds of their own. Compared to Sandai Kitetsu, however, Red Carnage appeared to be more vicious and bloodthirsty.

"I can feel its bloodlust," Zoro murmured as he swung Yumi's sword about. She said nothing but looked a little surprised. Zoro stopped swinging the sword and stood still, narrowing his eyes in concentration. He could sense other things besides bloodlust. A moment of silence passed, and then he exhaled.

"I see."

* * *

Yumi was surprised to find out that Zoro could sense her sword's thirst for blood, but then again, she shouldn't have been. The man had a reputation as a swordsman. It was to be expected that he held a strong affinity with blades. So when he suddenly said, "I see", her curiosity was aroused. What exactly had he sensed other than the bloodlust? She voiced her question out loud as Zoro sheathed her sword and handed it back to her.

"It's very temperamental. It'll only obey you, its master," Zoro chuckled. She thought she understood what he meant. A serious expression took over Zoro's face. "…Your sword has been through a lot and killed many people, but it won't rest until it gets revenge." Yumi's eyes widened. Before she could say anything in response, Zoro shook his head.

"I already said I wouldn't ask questions," he reminded her. She blinked with grateful eyes as he started heading back to the men's quarters. Zoro reached one of the entrances and paused there, one hand on the door. His next words were so quiet Yumi almost didn't hear him. "…Thanks for telling me stuff, though." He pushed the door open and disappeared through it, leaving Yumi to stare at her sword. She thought about the long conversation she'd had with Zoro and gripped her sword tightly.

"Whatever fate lies ahead of us, we'll share it."

* * *

**[1] **_"When the world shoves you around…" _– This quote is from episode 377 of the anime. Zoro said it to Bartholomew Kuma after getting seriously injured along with the rest of his crew mates at Thriller Bark.

Hopefully Zoro didn't sound too OOC in some parts, especially towards the end and when he told her 'thank you'. I thought that he'd gained enough respect from her strength (both physical and mental) to lose some, not all, of his doubts about her and be able to give thanks.


End file.
